Living Life

"Excerpts from the diary of a woman of no importance"

February 2020
Living Life

Many times, when I'm on the bus here in Karmi'el, I feel something like euphoria...
I look at the beautiful mountains, the passersby, the shops and markets. The trees and flowers, the plump and happy cats. There are no stray dogs on the streets—only those walking peacefully with their owners.
No abandoned dogs, no hunger, no sadness in their eyes.

I look up at the sky of my country and silently thank HaShem for the privilege of living here.
My heart sings.
I feel I have arrived.
I made my Aliyah and now rest in the hands of the Eternal.

Then I look around the bus and see our people—this full bus is a full plate! 😂
I usually take the bus mid-morning, when young adults are at work and the youth are at school. So the buses are full of older people—speaking Russian, Hebrew, Ukrainian, French, Spanish (from many countries)... and a little English, too.
The drivers (some of whom I already know by name!) speak Hebrew and Arabic. Some are Arabs, some are Jews, many are Druze.

A mixture of scents fills the air, completing this balagan...
Food, fresh bread, here and there a hint of garlic and onion, soap and perfume.

Many carry those large market carts that are so popular here, loaded with groceries.

Ah! And when our soldiers enter the bus, we are all one FAMILY. We all love them—and are so proud of them!

There isn’t a single young person who doesn’t offer their seat to an elderly woman or man. Pregnant women are never seen standing. And when children are on the bus, everyone—without exception—keeps an eye on them, making sure they are safe and well-behaved.

Sometimes Moshe asks me why I’m smiling.
And I wonder...
Do these people know the immense privilege it is to live here in Israel?
Jews from all corners of the world.

Here, we are not persecuted.
We are free.
We are proud to live our culture—which, in the end, becomes a delicious blend of cultures from around the world.

I look at the faces, the expressions, I listen to the languages and breathe in the scents of this beautiful chaos.
I feel like singing.
I feel like smiling.
I feel love.
A great wave of infinite love rises up and gently spills over—wetting my cheeks with silent tears.

I am complete.
I’ve arrived at my place in the world.

Esther Crouch